Upstream of this series, the signs of hope were few for the Grizzlies, but no one could imagine the scenario of this Game 1! For a large part of the first quarter, the two teams are shoulder to shoulder because of 3-point clumsiness on both sides. And then, OKC sets off with the replacement entries and a first shot behind the line ofIsaiah Joe = give 12 points ahead of the Thunder (29-17).
At the start of the second quarter, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still on the bench, he who signs a bad start to the match at 1/6 shooting. During the absence of the favorite in the title of MVP, the Grizzlies then take lightning and a basketball demonstration. To start, it is Aaron Wiggins which puts a 3-point shot to give OKC 15 lead (35-20). Then, it is a real deluge which falls on the poor players of Memphis.
Memphis avoids the worst defeat in history
Between Cason Wallace Who goes up to the dunk in transition, Aaron Wiggins who plants again 3-point, the grizzlyans have no solution and are dominated in all the compartments of the game. The dead time of Tuomas Iisalo does not change anything and his players fail to reverse the trend. In 90 seconds, the Thunder passed a 10-0 to approach the 30-point mark (50-22), something that will be done after a new time-3 of Memphis (53-22). Height of humiliation, Aaron Wiggins and Jalen Williams Have fun on an “alley-oop” in counterattack. At the break, the score is final: 68-36, the greatest gap at half-time during a playoff match.
Upon returning from the locker room, the dynamics do not change and OKC continues to have fun and the gap reaches 50 points (97-47) on a 3-point shot from Chet Holmgren. The only lightning in the middle of lightning is this shot from the midfielder Marvin Bagley, Best Grizzlies player on this match, at the end of the third quarter.
The last act does not change the overwhelming domination of the Thunder, which ends up quietly 131-80, with a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander within 15 points, A first since October 2024.
What to remember
The Thunder's message. OKC ranks among the favorites by the title and this match confirms it. The Thunder dominated the Grizzlies from the head and shoulders by pulling more than 50% success throughout the meeting, but also thanks to an overwhelming defense that completely smothered the grizzly ones.
Ineffective time. Tuomas Iisalo has tried to calm the fire, but each of his time-miles turned out to be less effective than the previous one. Between failed shots and successive ball losses, it was the Thunder who especially took advantage of it to widen the gap.
Marvin Bagley, the perfect match : The only one who has nothing to blame Memphis on the side is Marvin Bagley author of a perfect match at 17 points, 5 rebounds at 8/8 in shooting. Including a buzzer from “Downtown” at the end of the 3rd quarter.
No record. With 51 points apart, the Thunder signs one of the widest victories in the history of the playoffs. But the record remains the joint possession of the 1956 Lakers and Nuggets in 2009 with a final gap of 58 points!
